Methodology Brief
Can You Call It a Focus Group?
“Let’s get a group of people together and do a
focus group.”
H
ave you recently heard this comment?
Perhaps more now than in the past?
Not only are focus groups being used more
frequently, their applications are expanding.
Focus groups can be used for many purposes
including program development and evaluation,
planning, and needs assessment (Krueger and
Casey, 2000).
But is every gathering of people to discuss an
issue a focus group? Clearly not, yet how many
of us are able to distinguish the differences
among focus groups and other forms of group
discussion such as town meetings, brainstorming
sessions, and study circles? We may not even
comprehend why is it important to understand
the differences between various forms of group
discussion.
When appropriately used, the focus group
method can result in high quality data that
lead to high quality decision-making. Reliable,
valid information collected in a manner that
takes the values and needs of stakeholders
into consideration has the potential to reduce
conflicts when providing leadership to decisionmakers in organizations and communities
(House and Howe, 1999).
Focus group definition and uses
The focus group has been defined as a “carefully
planned series of discussions designed to obtain
perceptions on a defined area of interest in
a permissive, non-threatening environment”
(Krueger and Casey, 2000, p. 5). The focus
group was designed originally as a marketing
research tool and has been adapted for research
in many fields, such as medicine and the social
sciences, and in applied settings such as program
Focus groups can be used for program development
and evaluation, planning, and needs assessment.
(Krueger and Casey, 2000)
Reliable, valid information collected in a manner
that takes stakeholders’ values and needs into
consideration has the potential to reduce conflicts
and provide leadership to decision-makers in
organizations and communities.
(House and Howe, 1999)
A focus group is a series of discussions intended
to collect participants’ perceptions, set in a
“permissive, nonthreatening environment.”
(Krueger, 2000)
development and evaluation, and community
development.
Focus groups share features with other forms
of group discussion. The features that set focus
groups apart are:
■ A clear plan for a controlled process and
environment in which interactions among
participants take place;
■ Use of a structured process to collect and
interpret data; and
■ Participants selected based on characteristics
they share, as opposed to differences among
them.
Communities and organizations sometimes use
focus groups in inappropriate ways. For example,
they may assume that results of a single focus
group can be used to generalize about a total
population in a county or region. Or they might
decide to do a focus group immediately after a
training session to assess the level of knowledge
acquired on an individual basis by attendees.
How can you, an educator or a member of an
organization, determine whether a focus group is
the best tool in such instances?
PM 1969a May 2004
The focus group method is a valuable tool that
can be used to tease out real meanings at any
phase of the program planning cycle (Caffarella,
2002). It can assist in identifying problems
and clarifying the way that people experience
programs—what is happening in their world that
facilitators may not see from their own world
view (Morgan, 1998). Properly structured focus
groups can provide unique perspectives and can
produce ideas that lead to innovative programs as
well as program improvement.
the impact of an educational event. These
purposes are better served by other methods.
Inappropriate purposes of focus groups
The focus group process relies on an open,
trusting environment that does not attempt
to persuade or coerce people’s opinions. Any
attempt to build consensus has the potential to
discourage divergent thinking: the process that
yields a diversity of ideas and is crucial to highquality focus group results. Tools such as the
Search Conference and the Delphi technique
are more appropriate methods when consensus
building is the purpose.
Is any group discussion that yields information a
focus group? No. Focus groups are not a tool for
building consensus, educating, or for evaluating
Focus groups also are limited in their value as
educational events. It is true that learning may
occur as participants share their experiences and
Table 1. Comparing and contrasting focus groups and other types of discussion groups
Focus Groups
Other Small
Discussion Groups1
Large Discussion
Groups2
Identify problems
Recommended
Recommended
Limited use
Design programs
Limited use
Limited use
Not recommended
Evaluate programs
Limited use
Not recommended
Not recommended
Educate or inform
participants
Not recommended
Recommended
Recommended
Build consensus
Not recommended
Recommended
Recommended
Purpose
Designed to encourage
divergent thinking and
disclosure of personal
perceptions and behaviors
Designed to study and/or
generate ideas and solutions
Designed to build
consensus, educate, or
persuade
Participant
selection
Participants are selectively
invited, based on similar
characteristics
Participants invited or required Open to everyone in an
to participate because of their organization or
organizational affiliation.
community
Similarity between participants
is not a qualifier and may be a
limitation in some situations.
Group size
Group size from 6 to 12
individuals
Group size from 6 to 20
individuals
Group size from 6 to 100
or more individuals,
depending on the issue
Open, trusting environment
Open, trusting environment
Application
Event environment Open, trusting environment
1 For example, Study circle, Delphi Technique, Search Conference
2 For example, town meeting
opinions, but the overall
intent of a focus group is
not to move participants
in a certain direction
through information or
persuasion. When the
purpose is to encourage
expression of opinions
by members of a large
audience, town meetings
conducted with a
parliamentary procedure
or another democratic
form of facilitation may
be more suitable.
Questions to Determine
Appropriate Focus Group Use
1. For what purpose is the information
being collected or how will the
information be used?
2. What resources and skills are
available for the information gathering
process?
Appropriate Focus Group Uses
1. Gain clarity on how people
experience a program
2. Create information on participants’
thereby allowing program
planners to design
programs or change
programs that reach
identified outcomes.
• Focus groups
create information on
participants’ attitudes
and values (Lutenbacher,
Cooper, and Faccia,
2002), that can be used
to identify solutions for
old and new problems.
Group interaction can
stimulate participant
ideas that might not have
been available on an
individual basis.
Focus groups are someattitudes and values
times used to measure
3. Provide information on the language
the extent to which
used by potential survey respondents
individuals have learned
• Focus groups
4. Add detail to information generated
technical information.
provide information
by a quantitative survey
This is not a good use.
on the language used
The interaction of memby potential survey
bers in a focus group leads to an incomplete or
respondents (Larson and Hegland, 2003;
distorted picture of an individual’s competence.
Mitra 1994), that enhances the reliability and
If you need to measure gains that result from
validity of questionnaire responses. When
training, skip the focus group in favor of other
an evaluator is unfamiliar with the nuances
methods where group interactions have less inof a program or policy, focus groups with
fluences on the setting; for example, face-to-face
program managers or participants can assist
interviews, cognitive mapping, or paper and penthe evaluator in designing questions that get
cil pre/post-questionnaires (Caffarella, 2002).
the important information in a usable form.
A Tool to Determine Appropriate Focus
• Focus groups also can add detail to the
Group Use
information generated by a quantitative
Two questions can be used to determine whether
survey (Hebbeler and Gerlach-Downie,
a focus group is the appropriate method. The
2002, and Naylor et al., 2002). By their
process of answering either question provides
nature, paper and pencil surveys often leave
an opportunity to review the variety of methods
questions about why respondents answer
available for collecting information.
in a certain manner. Using focus groups
after a survey is completed can assist in
■ For what purpose is the information being
understanding answers to these questions.
collected or how will the information be used?
■ What resources and skills are available for
In applied program planning situations,
the information-gathering process?
• Focus groups can be used to gain clarity
Unlike the study circle or open space technique,
on the way people experience a program
a moderator leads focus group discussions in
(Hebbeler and Gerlach-Downie, 2002),
a direct way. Moderators manage results by
preparing questions with appropriate wording
and presenting them in the appropriate order.
They prepare the environment for effective
conversation and manage the conversation so
that the delicate balance between outcome and
genuine dialogue is maintained.
The choice of moderator can have a significant
impact on focus group results. A skilled
moderator can provide expertise in selecting
participants and motivating them to attend and
in interpreting and analyzing the focus group
results.
Conclusion
The focus group is a remarkable tool in the
world of information gathering and is recognized
and embraced by researchers, educators,
and organization and community leaders.
Appropriate use of focus groups can lead to high
quality information for high quality decisionmaking. Basic considerations addressed here
provide a framework for understanding and
assessing the appropriate uses of focus groups.
Recommended Readings
Morgan, D. L. (editor) 1993. Successful Focus Groups:
Advancing the State of the Art. Newbury Park, Calif.: Sage.
References Cited
Caffarella, R. 2002. Planning Programs for Adult Learners: A
Practical Guide for Educators, Trainers, and Staff Developers.
San Francisco: Jossey Bass.
Hebbeler, K., and S. Gerlach-Downie, 2002. “Inside the
Black Box of Home Visiting: A Qualitative Analysis of Why
Intended Outcomes Were Not Achieved.” Early Childhood
Research Quarterly 17: 28-51.
House, R., and K. Howe, 1999. Values in Evaluation and
Social Research. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Sage.
Krueger, R., and M.A. Casey, 2000. Focus Groups: A Practical
Guide for Applied Research (3rd edition). Thousand Oaks,
Calif: Sage.
Larson, K., and S. Hegland, 2003. Iowa Family Child Care
Providers’ Survey: Final Report. Ames, Iowa: Iowa State
University Extension CD-DIAL [on-line]. Available: http:
//www.extension.iastate.edu/cd-dial
Lutenbacher, M., W. Cooper, and K. Faccia, 2002.
“Planning Youth Violence Prevention Efforts: Decisionmaking Across Community Sectors.” Journal of Adolescent
Health 30: 346-354.
Mitra, A. 1994. “Use of Focus Groups in the Design of
Recreation Needs Assessment Questionnaires.” Evaluation
and Program Planning 17(2): 113-140.
Morgan, D. 1998. The Focus Group Guidebook. Book 1. The
Focus Group Kit. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Sage.
Naylor, P., J. Wharf-Higgins, L. Blair, L. Green, and B.
O’Connor, 2002. “Evaluating the Participatory Process in a
Community-Based Heart Health Project. Social Science and
Medicine 55: 1173-1187.
Grudens-Schuck, N., B. Lundy Allen, and K. Larson
2004. Focus Group Fundamentals. Ames, Iowa: Iowa State
University Extension. http://www.extenison.iastate.edu/
Publications/PM1969B.pdf
Prepared by Kathlene Larson, Nancy
Grudens-Schuck, and Beverlyn Lundy
Allen, Departments of Sociology and
Agricultural Education and Studies.
File: Communities 7-3
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